Office Killer

Starring:Doug Barron, Jason Brill, Paula Cale, Alice Drummond, Mike Hodge, Marceline Hugot, Michelle Hurst, Michael Imperioli, Carol Kane, Harley Kaplan, Albert Macklin, Eddie Malavarca, Linda Powell, Molly Ringwald, Florina Rodov, Marla Sucharetza, Barbara Sukowa, David Thornton, Jeanne Tripplehorn
Studio: Dimension
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Photographer and director Cindy Sherman has obviously always been interested in film. Her well-known Untitled Film Stills, from movies that don't exist--pregnant scenes that seem as though they are in medias res but are really staged--feature diverse characters who, upon closer examination, prove to be Sherman herself, every time. Her 1998 film debut, Office Killer, takes her postmodern playfulness with such narrative frames out of the equation--and leaves us with something more flatly macabre and less subtle than Sherman's other work.

Here, Carol Kane plays Dorine, a mousy, lonely, and introverted copyeditor for a consumer publication. Think for a moment what kind of person a copyeditor must be: this is the person whose job, whose passion, it is to know exactly where the apostrophe goes and to know the difference between effect and affect. The pressure can get to you.

Tyrannized at home by a domineering mother and tyrannized at work by backstabbing coworkers, downsizing, and newfangled computers, Dorine finds that the copy she cleans up is her only pleasure in life. As pressure builds and builds--Kane's performance exhibits amazing mastery of body language--Dorine finally caves and steps into an insanity that, in a horrifying, animalian fashion, has its own pleasantness and reason. Despite Kane's strong acting here, she is supported by flattish performances from Molly Ringwald, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Barbara Sukowa.

Amazon.com

Photographer and director Cindy Sherman has obviously always been interested in film. Her well-known Untitled Film Stills, from movies that don't exist--pregnant scenes that seem as though they are in medias res but are really staged--feature diverse characters who, upon closer examination, prove to be Sherman herself, every time. Her 1998 film debut, Office Killer, takes her postmodern playfulness with such narrative frames out of the equation--and leaves us with something more flatly macabre and less subtle than Sherman's other work.

Description

Favorite screen stars Jeanne Tripplehorn (MICKEY BLUE EYES, SLIDING DOORS), Carol Kane (THE PALLBEARER, ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES), and Molly Ringwald (TEACHING MRS. TINGLE, BETSY'S WEDDING) head a great cast in this campy and darkly hilarious thriller! Dorine (Kane) is a quiet and hardworking social outcast who has endured years of abuse as the office doormat. Then one day, this mild-mannered paper pusher accidentally electrocutes one particularly obnoxious coworker ... and in the process, completely short-circuits her already unstable sanity! From that moment on, Dorine comes to believe that any office mate can be her best friend -- once they're dead! An outrageous display of the creepier side of office politics -- Dimension Home Video is pleased to bring you an unusually entertaining motion picture that's destined to kill you with comedy!

Customer Reviews:

Dorine Douglas.......2006-03-19

I enjoyed this film so much. And the key to enjoying it is to get rid of any preconceived ideas of what a horror film should be like. It keeps a sarcastic tone from beginning to end, and to tell you the truth, I spent a considerable part of the movie laughing when I was supposed to be scared. Carol Kane is fantastic as Dorine, and her performance alone is worth the price of the DVD. The soundtrack is also great and very fitting to the atmosphere. Just watch the opening credits and you'll know what I'm talking about!

Citizen Kane.......2004-09-06

Photographer and director Cindy Sherman has been watching too many horror movies. This one is definitely the classic formula First an accident, then maybe another, then the trigger. Freud would be proud of this one.

No matter how fun this movie looks do not try this at home. And no, this is not what is meant by downsizing.

Dorine (Carol Kane) is working for a publisher that is about to downsize the office. The office is sort of dysfunctional anyway. Her character is more in line with Milton Waddams `Office Space' (1999). There may be a sub plot to this. Mean while it seems that everyone involved with making Dorine uncomfortable is invited to stay at her place. FOREVER.

So get out the sticky tape and popcorn to watch this one.

KILLER KANE.......2004-03-13

THE MAIN REASON to see this off-kilter black comedy is Carol Kane. Kane, once nominated for an Oscar for her role in HESTER STREET, went on to play the dispatcher on TAXI, but we've never really seen that much of her. In her role as Dorine Douglas, the titled murderer, she gives a performance that is totally awesome. Kane uses her put upon persona, her deeply infested hate and hurt to bring Dorine to vicious life. Her scene when she finds her mother dead is brilliant in its intensity and the way Kane is able to jump back and forth. It's not easy playing a wacko and getting away with it. Here, Kane shines in a performance that should not have been overlooked at Oscar time.
Only Molly Ringwald as the bitchy coworker gives more than a passing performance; Jeanne Tripplehorn almost makes it, but the rest of the cast, well...
Anyway, this is NOT a pleasant movie, and along with CHRISTINA'S HOUSE gives further credence to the ban on door to door selling.
Worth a rent just to see Kane's killer performance!

Art at it's horrific core!!.......2004-01-04

A real gem from Cindy Sherman's creepier side.
Stellar casting! Molly Ringwald is stunning! Carol Kane is classic!

The clear packing tape scene still gives me the willies. PURE GENIUS!!!

=^..^=

An artsy horror flick!!.......2003-08-29

I think this is a fabulous independent film. People are acting shocked and disgusted by this movie, but what did they expect?The movie, after all, is called office killer!! It's campy and over the top, like most great horror films. Watch this movie with an open mind and enjoy!!

Average customer rating:

Interesting mix of corporate satire and thriller

The Guard From Underground
Starring: Makiko Kuno , Yutaka Matsushige , Hatsunori Hasegawa , Ren Osugi , and Taro Suwa
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Manufacturer: Arts Magic
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Crime | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

Slasher Flicks | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Jigoku - Criterion Collection
Masters of Horror - Imprint
Pulse
Marebito
The Booth

ASIN: B000DWN03O
Release Date: 2006-04-25

Description

Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Pulse), one of Japan's most respected directors, delivers a twisted tale of psychotic, bone-snapping violence that pays homage to the slasher movies of the 1980s. One thing's for sure… it'll make you think twice about doing overtime ever again! It's not just the irritable managers and unhelpful co-workers that Akiko has to deal with on her first day at Department 12 of the Akebono Corporation. There's also the gigantic security guard Fujimaru, who has a permanent solution for keeping the offices secure…

Customer Reviews:

Interesting mix of corporate satire and thriller.......2006-10-10

One of the contemporary masters of Japanese film, Kiyoshi Kurosawa here fashions a dark tale that is both a sharp satire of corporate life and a B-movie thriller. A former sumo wrestler (and here, the Western viewer is surprised to discover that not all sumo wrestlers are huge ponderous guys) now working as a security guard goes on a murderous rampage in the company that's employed him.

How did he snag the job with a prior charge of murder? How is it that the only way a surviving employee can get help is by telexing New York City? Kind of hard to understand this, and no hints are provided--at least not to the first question.

As well, the juxtaposition of world-renowned art in commerce (i.e., how much can I buy and sell this Cezanne for?) with the obviously crude and horrible activity the guard engages in that dominates the story, give this film a unique feel.

Though not as well crafted as Kurosawa's astoundingly brilliant "Kyua (Cure)", this is nevertheless an interesting film.

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